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Lamenting Hyrule

Why can’t video games be remembered and appreciated for what they were? I suppose every generation says this, for the Atari, Sega, Nintendo, Playstation, etc. even the GameBoy, but man do I miss those days where the video games of my youth were not some plot-less slasher, or a way to steal cars or teabag your fallen foes (although those certainly existed then and do more-so these days). Hands-down my top three video games were always Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Kingdom Hearts, and Final Fantasy X – and boy do I miss them.

Recently I’ve thought about reviving them, repurchasing an N64 or even setting up the Wii to download Zelda, or getting a PS2 … but then I play Civilization instead, because I still have the newest version on my laptop, too lazy to buy the old games, and smart enough to realize I don’t have the time to play them like I used to. Sure, there’s the old Mario Kart which has been readapted for the Wii that I can still play, and I know there are constantly new RPGs coming out every year, but somehow it’s not the same. Somehow not playing as Link, Sora, or Tidus – not using the Keyblade, or playing Blitzball, or storming into the temples in Spira just seems empty.

There are things about our childhood that we treasure simply because it always holds a special place in our hearts. Much like the book series of Ender’s Game, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia touched me at that young age, so did these games. Not the games that were vulgar enough to corrupt me as such a young girl, but games that were good vs. evil, games where you had to actually use your head (or your guidebook for those lucky people..) to figure it out and outsmart the enemy – who was somehow always bigger, stronger, and more numerous! As we grow up I think we lose track of the bigger picture in life because we’re so caught up in the now – how many drinks we’re going to have every weekend, how many times we’ve updated our Facebook or checked Twitter..

Sometimes it takes a fantasy world to remind us of our own life and that it’s bigger than we think it is – or it can be if we let it. Also, this post has now prompted me to go enjoy my childhood memories!